Donald Trump Jr. Gives Up Secret Service Protection, Seeking Privacy

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, has elected to forgo protection by the Secret Service, according to a senior administration official, and another top White House official is losing hers.

The agency ceased protecting Mr. Trump, who lives in New York City and is an executive at the Trump Organization, last week. Mr. Trump, an avid camper and hunter, was said to be seeking more privacy than he can expect with a contingent of agents accompanying him everywhere.

It was not immediately clear whether the decision applied to his family; he and his wife, Vanessa, have five children. Mr. Trump could not be reached, and the White House did not return a message seeking comment.

Additionally, Kellyanne Conway, a counselor to President Trump, will no longer be covered by agents, according to an administration official briefed on the matter.

The two cases are unrelated. Together, though, the moves will provide relief for the Secret Service, which has had its work force and resources strained by the size and lifestyle of the Trump family and the president’s inner circle.

Like other members of his family, Mr. Trump’s personal and business travel — often to far-flung Trump properties and projects around the world — has triggered frequent criticism and careful documentation by Democrats and other watchdog groups. Those groups argue that taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for the agency’s highly trained agents to accompany the younger Mr. Trump. The size of the first family had forced the Secret Service to shift agents who would otherwise be working on criminal cases or investigations into protective duty.

The Secret Service does not decide who falls under its protection. In the case of the president’s immediate family, the agency is required by law to provide round-the-clock security unless it is told not to and typically errs on the side of caution.

Ms. Conway’s protection is not covered by statute. The president approved her protection after Ms. Conway received several threats in the administration’s early days. That threat assessment has since changed, the official briefed on the decision said.

The president’s other children and grandchildren will continue to be covered by the agency, as will several of the president’s top aides. So will Trump Tower, home to the Trump Organization, which has been designated as the president’s primary residence.

A spokeswoman for the Secret Service, Catherine Milhoan, declined to comment on the matter.

“To ensure the safety and security of our protectees and their families, we will not confirm who is currently receiving Secret Service protection,” Ms. Milhoan said.

The changes came during one of the most challenging periods of the year for the Secret Service: the United Nations General Assembly in Manhattan. With heads of state and high-ranking American officials gathered in one place, the weeklong summit meeting is often referred to as the agency’s Super Bowl and requires special agents and other resources to be flown in from across the country.

More than 1,000 special agents have worked so many extra hours that they have already reached a cap on overtime pay for the year. Lawmakers have proposed legislation to raise that cap for this year and next, but that measure has not yet passed.

Nicholas Fandos reported from Washington, and Maggie Haberman from New York.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A15 of the New York edition with the headline: Trump Jr., Citing Privacy, Gives Up His Secret Service Protection. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe